Remote control assemblies are used to transfer an actuating force from an initial location to a device at another location. These assemblies generally include a conduit comprising an outer jacket, an inner sheath, and support wires disposed between the outer jacket and inner sheath to provide strength and structural stiffness for the conduit. A core element is slidably disposed within the conduit and connects the actuator and its corresponding device in remote control engagement. The conduit must be securely fastened to a housing or other structure, however, in order to provide a stable path for the core element to travel within. This is especially important when compressive or tensile loads on the core element place both lateral and axial forces on the conduit.
Conduit anchor devices have been created to provide a stable location for attachment of the conduit to a support bracket or other structure. These devices traditionally use a variety of methods to securely attach the anchor device to the conduit. Many such devices must be crimped onto the conduit, and even then can withstand only minimal loads. Crimping may not be desirable, however, if potential damage to the conduit may result.
To avoid crimping, other anchor devices require insertion of additional wires or other material beneath the anchor device to provide a tight fit of the device over the conduit. Unfortunately, this is a time consuming, labor intensive activity. For example, Great Britain Patent Number 1,128,159 discloses a remote control assembly including a conduit anchor device of this type. The conduit includes an inner sheath, an outer jacket, and support wires disposed therebetween. The conduit anchor device comprises a hollow cylindrical member with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the conduit. In this manner the anchor device can slide freely over the conduit. The anchor device is mounted onto the conduit by first stripping away a section of the outer jacket and exposing the support wires underneath. The anchor device is then slipped over the wires, and two additional wires are inserted under the anchor device to tighten the fit around the conduit. Finally, the anchor device is hammered onto the conduit to further secure the fit. Accordingly, this operation is highly labor intensive in that hammering is required and additional wires must be inserted under the anchor device before the anchor device is operational.
Furthermore, conduit anchor devices which do not require crimping or inserting additional material under the device have other shortcomings. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,263,519 to Conrad, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a conduit with an anchor device of this type. The conduit includes an inner sheath, an outer jacket, and support wires disposed therebetween. The anchor device is a molded end fitting that is formed directly onto the conduit. The end of the conduit is initially flared outwardly with a press prior to molding the anchor device on the conduit. The end of the conduit is then placed in a plastic injection die cavity and the anchor device is formed around the end of the conduit. While this results in a securely attached anchor device, the process is highly labor intensive and necessarily requires large, expensive machinery.